constitution meaning的八卦，YOUTUBE和Yahoo名人娛樂都在討論

ลองเข้าไปติดตามภาคภาษาอังกฤษได้ที่นี่นะครับ

Thaksin Shinawatra in Private Discussion
World Policy Institute Global Leader Briefing Series Thinking Points
World Policy Institute, 9th March 2016, New York

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Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I must thank you World Policy Institute for providing me an opportunity to share my thought on the challenges that revolve around the economic, regional and global implications of how Thailand will make its way through a period of transition and change.

We all know that no society in the twenty-first century can sustain any form of “progress” in the well-being of its people without at least two basic foundations:
The first one is political stability. The second one is the ability to create economic activities that allow growth and readiness to shift its creativities to sustain wealth.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me tell you the tale of the two cities, which is not written by Charles Dickens. It is the tale of parallel progress of Washington D.C. and Beijing. Each has its own history, pain and loathing. As the years go by, the two cities have been seen as rivals which offers competing models for growth and prosperity.

One is Free Market-Capitalism with the so-called “Open Democracy” as the foundation of its economic model. The other one is State-Led Capitalism with the central control system by one party.

Both of the models have proven to be successful in a very dramatic way from the past to the present. Admitting that the Chinese model was fitting to the change of attitude among the leadership of the country at that time, in parallel with the change of economic model in the West, in which the definition of “free trade” benefits China’s shifting position from a close market to a semi-open market.

But we must admit also that both models are now having to adjust itself to the new reality; the reality of dramatic change in speed and character of technology for industrial production; the change from “a country-based product” to “network of global design, global sourcing,and global production for just one product”. This extraordinary change upends the “normal” internal economic adjustment of the country and made it very difficult to find a simple economic adjustment.

We must recognize that advancement in the wealth management technique and technology also upend the normal linkage between capital and changes in production. However, we probably agree, that one common threat for survival in this present so-called “New Normal” is either you have the ability and willingness to change or you don’t. Thailand, like the other countries, cannot get away from this New Normal in the international context.

Ladies and Gentleman,

There is a tale of a poor English teacher in China who soared to the list of the world’s wealthiest people. He neither built a big factory nor invested in any production facility. But, people paid for his service simply to reach the network of supply and demand on a grand scale. I believe, he must feel thank you to the internet.

Ladies and Gentleman,

Amid the global economic slowdown, the pattern of trade has significantly changed. Due to the development of information technology infrastructure and increasing number of population who is able to access to the internet, e-commerce has become a new engine that sustains growth for both developed and developing economies. According to UNCTAD’s report last year, the value of global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce in 2013 exceeded $15 trillion USD. While global business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce still accounted for an estimated $1.2 trillion USD, this segment has grown at a rapid pace; especially in the Asia and Oceania region where B2C segment is expected to surge from 20 to 37 percent between 2013 to 2018. Due to the incremental growth of cross-border e-commerce trade, international postal deliveries of small packets and parcels have risen by 48 percent between 2011 to 2014 globally.

For both Asia and the West, I believe these numbers provide us with clues for the new growth opportunities where “access to networks” is the key: meaning, the networks of consumers and factors of production across geographical boundaries. Unlike the economy of twentieth century when “access to centers” is the rules of the game, today, businessmen who do not have big factories and are not the owners of multinational corporations, can manage to reach and satisfy the needs of their customers worldwide through networks of production and distribution with an assist of the new communication technology. Today’s economy is increasingly decentralized. Consumption and production are more and more dispersed. We could imagine that an American producers can sell their products online directly to consumers in the western part of China without having to spend business hours in Beijing or Shanghai. Vice versa, a Chinese producer can bypass New York to offer their products to customers in New England and Mid-Atlantic states. The network economy has provided the people, both in small and large businesses, with the ability to produce and access to consumers at lower costs. We, as a global community, must put special emphasis on how each country can invest and share risk with the people to create growth collectively.

Ladies and Gentleman,

Another tale is about the rebirth of a road that nobody cares since the Portuguese discovered a possible sea route from Europe to Asia. The Portuguese did offer an alternative trade route with substantial margins for the goods carried. Although you might lose half of the cargoes on the way, you still did not lose your shirt. Since the demand for spices were overwhelming, the merchant marines heavily charge everybody.

Ladies and Gentleman,

The heavy-load transport through the sea has been with us till now, and the land routes from Asia to Europe have been neglected. If the world’s economy is thriving like the good old days, probably, not so many people would be interested in finding an alternative in life. But, since the situation goes awry, I believe, any country should consider all possibilities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, there are two major initiatives that, I think, have great potential to accelerate growth and leverage “quality of growth” that brought into being by the emergence of network economy. One is the China-led “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) plan to develop transport and logistics connectivity encompassed some 60 countries, which include about 50 percent of the world’s GDP. And, the other is the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) between 12 Pacific Rim countries, which account for more than 40 percent of the world’s GDP. I have not seen these two initiatives as antagonistic, but rather a kind of two parallel processes that, at a certain point, will create mutual economic benefits for Asia and the West.

We must overcome the stereotype that perceive China and the US as merely the two opposing political superpowers. In reality, the economic development during the past decade has shown us how far these two major economies are interdependent. China is the largest foreign holder of US government securities with $1.24 trillion USD worth. With the total trade volume of $521 billion USD in 2014, the US is China’s biggest trade partner. Total US foreign direct investment (FDI) in China stood at $65.77 billion USD at the end of 2014, while the Chinese FDI in the US is estimated to have reach $11.9 billion USD.

Given this interdependence in mind, I believe Southeast Asia- the region that sits in between the two great initiatives of the two major economies- must put special emphasis on how to enhance the mutual economic benefits with its counterparts. For Southeast Asia in the twenty-first century, the geopolitics should be about how to reinforce the networks of wealth creation for the people that stretch across national and regional borders.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me tell you the last tale about a Thai restaurant. No matter how many times the master chef tries to teach his protege, the young man keeps making mistakes in mixing the ingredients. Customers are kept waiting, hungry and mad. Once the customers are served, half of them get diarrhea afterward. The moral of this tale is one must make the written recipe right.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While some people may underline the unique characteristics of Thailand in terms of its history and developmental path, the country itself cannot avoid to come to terms with the global challenges of the twenty-first century. For half a century, the Thai economy has incrementally integrated into global economy. Values of Thailand’s exports per GDP and FDI in the country have shown us clearly how far the growth of Thai economy has been interwoven with the fate of global economy.

Against this context, we shall consider Thailand’s draft constitution with a very simple question: will the latest draft constitution “enable” the country to grow and become stronger in the present world? Or, will the latest draft constitution provide Thailand with a sufficient institutional infrastructure for investment, production, cooperation, and businesses?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Due to the framework set out by the latest draft constitution, it is difficult to foresee a government that is responsive to the people and the challenges of the twenty-first century. According to the new draft, the 200-seat upper house, or Senate, will be appointed by the so-called “experts”. The Senate will also have greater powers to block legislation. Regarding the Constitutional Court, its scope of jurisdiction will be expanded. The Court will have the power to examine cases based on petitions filed directly by individuals, without the requirement that an actual dispute being brought by political organs or other courts.

If we consider the doctrine of separation of powers as the foundation for growth and stability, the critical issue that we shall examine is whether the judicial power will trespass the provinces of legislature/ and executive or not? For a government to be able to manage the economy against the global slowdown, I do hope that there will be no over-enforcement of the judicial power. Experiences of several countries show us that, if unchecked, judicial review can be inappropriately used as “delaying tactic”; thus, in turn, become an impediment to economic policy implementation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I believe that the foundation for the country to create growth and prosperity is to build trust in the global community. The constitution shall protect the rule of law and provide at least a minimum level of freedom of speech that facilitates economic cooperation between the people and the global community. Trade and investment cannot flourish if there is no certain degree of confidence provided by the rule of law. Against the transition and change, Thailand must reevaluate its strength and weakness. The country shall find a sensible way to regain its political stability and economic dynamism. I have only proposed the way of how should we think of the phenomena that is the world today.

Baca Ini Jika Tak Pandai Bahasa Inggeris

Kepada korang yang dah pandai bahasa Inggeris boleh abaikan surat ini. Biarkan abang ajar kepada korang korang yang lain.

Semua sedia maklum bahasa Inggeris itu penting kerana banyak sekali sumber ilmu yang dapat dirujuk dalam bahasa ini.

Wikipedia yang menjadi rujukan terbesar pun paling banyak artikel ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris. Begitu juga kalau korang berniat untuk menyelamatkan dunia, maka ‘kerja’ itu akan jadi lebih mudah bila korang pandai English. InshaAllah berjaya terutamanya jika korang expert like a crazy pig (pandai gila babi).

Nota: Gila babi bukan digunakan untuk menghina tapi untuk menujukkan rasa kagum yang teramat iaitu kagum gila babi. Harap maklum.

Berbalik pada topik utama. Dipendekkan cerita, dulu abang mayat adalah seorang Melayu yang agak malas untuk belajar bahasa Inggeris. Mungkin pada zaman itu, PM belum mewajibkan lagi pelajaran matematik dan sains dalam bahasa Inggeris. Lagipun pada masa itu belum ada internet, maka abang membuat endah tak endah dengan pentingnya BI (alasan semuanya itu).

Sehinggalah pada suatu hari, abang mayat melihat sekumpulan budak-budak Punk ketawa selepas membaca tulisan di dinding tandas terutama bila ada F word. Hal ini membuatkan abang iri hati dengan kelebihan ilmu mereka dan ditambah pula dengan ramainya pendosa dari luar negara yang datang ke Malaysia, maka abang memulakan langkah to improve my English sebagai salah satu kaedah yang lebih cepat dalam usaha menyelamatkan dunia. InshaAllah!

Bak kata pepatah:

“Everyone should be able to do one card trick, tell two jokes and recite three poems, in case they are ever trapped in an elevator.” (Lemony Snicket)

Namun, oleh kerana abang dah lama habis sekolah dan datang dari keluarga yang kurang berkemampuan, maka abang belajar bahasa Inggeris dengan cara sendiri.

Sekarang, berkat usaha gigih, karisma, dedikasi dan integriti... err… kejap! Cerita ini bukanlah nak bercerita tentang abang yang pandai English gila babi, tapi cerita tentang bagaimana kita boleh cepat pandai dalam bahasa itu. Bila cepat tiada lagi istilah ‘hot-hot chicken shit’.

Kalau mahu belajar apa-apa bahasa, perkara pertama adalah korang kena ada kamus sendiri. Korang kena beli kamus dan bawa ke mana sahaja. Kalau boleh hafal satu kamus. Jika dulu nabi digelar ‘al-Quran bergerak’, sekarang giliran korang pula menjadi ‘kamus bergerak’. Jika ada kawan bertanya, what is inception? Terus dapat jawab, the Nolam film in the beginning blah blah...nampak tak?

Abang tahu, korang lemah BI bukan sebab bodoh tetapi korang tak tahu makna dan malas menghafal kerana dalam otak sudah ditanam ‘tak tahu English pun boleh hidup juga’ atau ‘malaikat dalam kubur tak tanya dalam bahasa Inggeris’. Bukankah dalam syurga lebih afdal cakap Arab? Arghh… malas nak cerita bab ni. Apa kata korang buang persepsi itu. Jangan jadikan itu alasan dan halangan.

Abang juga hairan kenapa pelajar dalam kelas English jarang bawa kamus. Masalah utama korang adalah tak tahu makna. Jadi, kalau tak tahu kenalah beli kamus dan hafal. Itu kunci yang pertama!

“Don't be so humble, you are not that great.” (Golda Meir)

Dah ada kamus? Sekarang pergi beli buku nota untuk mencatat perkataan yang tak faham sewaktu membaca dan sebelum tidur hafal balik perkataan baru tadi.

Jadi korang akan ada dua buku, satu adalah kamus dan satu lagi buku nota yang akan menjadi kamus peribadi kerana korang akan mencatat perkataan baru dan tak tahu makna sahaja. Lama kelamaan, buku nota itu akan menjadi tebal dan korang dah tak perlu merujuk kamus lagi.

Untuk permulaan, Pilih bahn bacaan yang mudah dahulu. Kalau boleh ambil bahan bacaan budak tadika, baca dan faham makna keseluruhan cerita. Selepas itu, baca buku budak sekolah rendah pula, seterusnya buku sekolah menengah, lirik lagu, dialog film, dan akhirnya bacalah novel Inggeris sebelum membaca tafsir al-Quran dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Abang masih ingat apabila baru berkecimpung dalam dunia internet, rasa teruja sungguh. Begitu banyak sumber ilmu yang boleh kita terokai. Buka sahaja Wikipedia bermacam-macam cerita yang boleh dibaca. Cukuplah ada wiki.. Ilmu tak bertepi.. perghhh!

Waktu tu pun baru tahu apa itu Rotten Tomatoes, siapa Maddox, imdb info dan banyak lagi istilah baru. Tetapi sebelum itu kenalah pandai English dulu!

Bila dah pandai, boleh mula berniat untuk berdakwah ke peringkat antarabangsa. Bukan setakat dari Perlis sampai ke Sabah saja perjuangan kita. Think BIG dan langkah kita akan besar tapi jika Think SMALL maka langkah pun akan small.

Contoh: Jika korang fikir habis belajar nanti cukuplah dapat bekerja makan gaji di company yang stabil, maka perjalanan hidup akan terhad kepada kerja lapan jam sehari, lima hari seminggu dan menunggu dinaikkan pangkat. Tetapi jika korang fikir mahu berbisnes, mencipta produk, menggaji pekerja, kayakan diri sendiri dan membuat sesuatu yang bermakna, maka perjalanan hidup korang akan luas tiada penghujungnya. Tapi sebelum nak mendapatkan semua ini, kenalah pandai bahasa penjajah!

“To stay around (if you dot want to go far), learn bahasa tempatan. To go futher, learn bahasa penjajah!” (Hamka Kereta Mayat)

Jadi Abang memang rajin baca Wikipedia. Sambil baca sambil buka kamus, (sekarang dah ada Google Translate lagi senang). Selepas itu abang beli akhbar The Star, komik English (sekarang banyak yang online) dan juga kitab karangan Maulana Yusof Mutakhab, hadis versi English. Baca, baca dan baca…

Dari dulu abang suka tengok movie. Selesai tengok movie, abang akan baca sinopsis atau plot cerita dalam bahasa Inggeris untuk tahu penggunaan ayat. Mana yang tak faham abang akan catat dan hafal pada waktu makan. Begitu juga dengan komik Dragonball dan GTO, walaupun dah khatam dalam bahasa Melayu, abang baca pula versi bahasa Inggeris di internet.

Bila berjalan abang akan bawa kamus, (sekarang cuma perlu download aplikasi ke dalam telefon) jika nampak tulisan yang diconteng di dinding tandas awam dalam bahasa Inggeris, abang akan buka kamus dan ketawa dalam slang English jika lawak itu bermutu tinggi.

Contoh lawak di dinding tandas;

‘A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.’ (Lana Turner)

Untuk lebih cepat pandai, abang pinjam dua buku dari perpustakaan awam iaitu versi Melayu dan Inggeris. Kedua-dua buku itu abang akan baca dan bandingkan. Antara buku yang abang buat begitu adalah How To Win Friends & Influence People tulisan Dale Carnegie, Rich Dad Poor Dad dan banyak buku popular lain.

Untuk dapat saham di dunia dan akhirat pula, abang baca buku islamik yang ada dua versi BM dan BI seperti buku tafsir dan hadis. Kedua-dua buku itu abang baca dan bandingkan. Ada juga waktunya isteri abang akan membaca taklim dalam BM dan ayah semak dalam BI.

Contoh hadis bahasa Inggeris yang dipetik dari A Selection of Hadith;

Nabi said: He is wise and shrew who takes account of himself and prepares for what is after death. And he is weak and incapable who follows his desires and yet pins high hopes on Allah’s Mercy. (Tirmidhi)

Kadang kadang abang kaji falsafah Inggeris:

“Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.” (Bill Gates)

Ada masanya apabila menonton filem, abang akan fokus pada subtitiles dan gunakan dalam kehidupan seharian. Contoh petikan dialog daripada filem Bujang Lapuk (The Three Bachelor Warriors).

Aziz : Probably, that house that you mentioned, has anyone occupied it yet?

Sudin : Which house ?

Aziz : That house, the one that you kept talking about.

Sudin : Oh, that house. It's still vacant ... if we apply for it, we'll get it.

Aziz : How many rooms, Din ?

Sudin : I saw three rooms.

Aziz : That's good. Each of us can have a room to himself. Are they large ?

Sudin : Not very. But it's long, 7 feet ... about 3 feet long and 7 feet deep.

Aziz : Quite big, huh, there's even depth..that's A GRAVE !

Woha!

Bila dah naik sheikh, ada juga abang cuba menyanyi lagu Melayu dalam Bahasa English seperti lagu;

Sekadar Di Pinggiran - Just at the Edge
Menaruh Harapan - Pinning on Hope
Kau Kunci Cintaku Di Dalam Hatimu - You are the Key to My Love in Your Heart
Takdir Dan Waktu - Fate and Time
Pada Syurga Di Wajahmu - Your Heavenly Face
Teratai Layu Di Tasik Madu - Dying Lotus in the Honey Lake
Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud - Ask the Woodpecker
Cinta Beralih Arah - Love Turns Away
Jerat Percintaan - Love Trap
Balqis - Queen of Sheba
Rela Ku Pujuk - I'm Willing to Entice
Gemilang - Glory
Terlalu Istimewa - Too Special
Awan Nano - Nano Cloud
Terukir Di Bintang - Etched In the Stars
Bahagiamu Deritaku - Your Happiness is My Pain

Kalau masih tak faham lagi, di sini abang copy paste satu lagu yang paling abang suka nyanyi dulu.

Aci-Aci, open the door,
Nana come back at one a.m,
Don't be afraid of the owl,
Nana bring Semambu of cane.

Nana Nana, come home rush,
Aci afraid to be all alone,
There's a ghost behind the house,
Shifty eyes and a striped nose long.

Aci aci, don't be afraid,
Nana have Oh! a stunt machete,
Ghost and demons will be afraid,
See the machete, surely they desperated!

If Nana, just say so,
Then my heart is calm so-so,
If come again, ghost and demons,
Aci will beat them with a brooms!

(Lirik tibai, mintak tolong cikgu Inggeris betulkan)

Lagu lain:. suci dalam.debu.

Alkisahnya Lagu suci dalam debu popular waktu abang tingkatan satu.

Naik bas pergi sekolah driver putar lagu ni.

Abang waktu tu ada minat sorang awek pandai English bernama Adibah nor(typo nama sebenar), jadi abang translate lagu Iklim versi English dan bagi kat dia.

Tapi cinta abang ditolak. Mungkin sebab kesalahan grammar abang yang telus sangat. Ha ha

Clean in dust!

(Sila Nyanyi ikut rentak asal)

You just like a clean water
In the glass with dust
Even the dirty.... you can see
Beautiful of clean is still protect

Love is not only at eye
Love coming from heart
Let be wrong.. from they eye
Let the different can see... between us.

I hope you... still can accept
Even looking so ugly
Because the real meaning of love
Only we feel it

One day will coming
The light will appear
The door will open
We step in together

That time we can see
The light is bright
The dust be a pearl
The ugly be honor

This is not dreaming
What I sharing
But very confident
Happening

Because of love
The sea will burn
Still I swimming
Confirm!

Woha!

Selain itu, untuk menambahkan kefahaman dalam English, abang juga berpantun dengan orang-orang tua.

Contoh pantun;

The Pandan Island is far from land,
The Daik Mountain has three peak,
Though the body has rot in the sand,
The good deeds are never forget.

(grammar silap sikit sebab nak bagi belakangnya sinomim, adohai)

Terkadang abang juga ada berteka-teki dalam bahasa Inggeris;

1. Which mountain has three peaks?
2. Which island is far from land?

Sesekali, apabila berdiri seorang diri depan cermin, abang akan menari macam Michael Jackson dan menyanyi lagi ini;

You better run,
You better do what you can,
Don't wanna see no blood,
Don't be a macho man,
You wanna be tough,
Better do what you can,
So beat it,
But you wanna be bad,
Just beat it.

Bini abang cukup menyampah tengok ayah tergedik-gedik sepahkan bilik tidur dengan tarian gimnastik. Woha!

Kadang-kadang abang akan berpatriotik dalam Bahasa Inggeris;

Rukun Negara
Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan - Belief of God
Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara - Loyalty to King and Country
Keluhuran Perlembagaan - The Supremacy of the Constitution
Kedaulatan Undang-Undang - The Rule of Law
Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan - Courtesy and Morality

Bila jumpa member-member berpendidikan tinggi yang bergelar pensyarah, doktor atau professor, tanpa segan silu abang akan terus bercakap dalam bahasa Inggeris dengan mereka. Begitu juga jika berurusan dengan orang Cina dan India, abang akan speaking dengan mereka. Malahan dengan kucing yang curi-curi masuk rumah pun abang akan halau dalam bahasa Inggeris. Malah sesekali bila berasmaradana dengan bini, kami speaking juga. Woha!

Dan pengalaman yang paling bernilai dalam hidup ialah ketika para pendakwah dari luar negara datang berdakwah di kampung maka abang akan menjadi pengalih bahasa untuk orang kampung yang tak tahu berbahasa Inggeris. Begitu lebih kurang…

“Alhamdulillah, Allah puts the success of human’s life in this world and the hereafter only in the perfect religion. The Perfect religion is carrying out all of the commandments of Allah following the way of Rasulullah S.A.W. All of the companions of Rasullulah have had the perfect religion in their life, It was mainly because all of them had six noble qualities with them. If we want to have the perfect religion in our life, we should follow the footsteps of those successful people by making effort to obtain and bring the six qualities into our life. If we have these six noble qualities with us, we will also be able to practice the perfect religion in our life easily…”

Alkisahnya, Pada suatu hari, ketika rancak berborak dengan kawan-kawan dalam bahasa Inggeris yang berterabur tapi janji faham, maka terciptalah satu teori baru dalam hidup abang. Kawan-kawan abang bila belajar bahasa Inggeris mereka ada target atau measurement masing-masing dalam menentukan setakat mana pengetahuan mereka dalam bahasa ini telah tercapai.

Sesetengah mereka menganggap sudah pandai berbahasa Inggeris apabila boleh berborak dengan pelancong asing. Ada pula yang merasakan mereka sudah fasih berbahasa ini apabila boleh menyanyi lagu Inggeris dan pada masa sama faham maksud tersirat. Ada yang anggap mereka sudah pandai berbahasa Inggeris apabila boleh mengarang resume sehingga diterima kerja. Selain itu, ada yang menganggap mereka sudah fluent English apabila boleh membaca novel barat tanpa merujuk kamus dan lain-lain.

Tapi abang lain, abang ada target tersendiri dalam menentukan setakat mana pengetahuan ayah dalam Bahasa Inggeris tercapai iaitu…

(bersambung...)

Dipetik dari buku Hamka keretamayat
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Okey belanja sikit lagi...

Tapi abang lain, abang ada target tersendiri dalam menentukan setakat mana pengetahuan abang dalam Bahasa Inggeris tercapai iaitu…

Abang Mesti Bermimpi Dalam Bahasa Inggeris!

Maka untuk itu.., pada suatu hari yang lain

(Sekarang baru betul betul bersambung)

Woha!

(cerita penuh kisah ini ada dalam buku Hamka keretamayat-Ngeteh dikubur ayah)

Buku ada stok.

Semusim di Syurga- kisah penduduk kuala syurga dan masalah agama.

Kisah laki bini-cerita pasangan membantu cinta dalam masa tiga hari.

Kisah anak bini- kisah anak tanya soalan pelik tapi di jawab oleh ayah dengan bergaya.

NGETEH di kubur ayah-kisah surat dari kubur kepada masyarakat kebanyakkan.

Kerana dia anak syurga:-kisah 12 parent OKU berdamai dengan takdir.

No wasap untuk order abang mayat share dekat first komen.

Don't say abang not umbrella.. ella..ella.. umbrella.. ella.. ella..

Woha!

No Forbidden Zones in Reading (Lee Yee)

German philosopher Hegel said, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”

In April 1979, the post-Cultural Revolution era of China, the first article of the first issue of Beijing-based literary magazine, Dushu [meaning “Reading” in Chinese]," shook up the Chinese literary world. The article, titled “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”, was penned by Li Honglin. At the time, the CCP had not yet emerged from the darkness of the Cultural Revolution. What was it like in the Cultural Revolution? Except for masterpieces by Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao, and a small fraction of practical books, all books were banned, and all libraries were closed. The Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, and 2 years later in 1978, the National Publishing Bureau decided to allow 35 books to be “unbanned”. An interlude: When the ban was first lifted, there was no paper on which to print the books because the person with authority over paper was Wang Dongxing, a long-term personal security of Mao’s, who would only give authorization to print Mao. The access to use paper to print books other than Mao was a procedural issue. The Cultural Revolution was already on its way to be overturned. The door to printing these books was opened only after several hang-ups.

“No Forbidden Zones in Reading” in the first issue of Dushu raised a question of common sense: Do citizens have the freedom to read? “We have not enacted laws that restrict people’s freedom of reading. Instead, our Constitution stipulates that people have the freedom of speech and publication, as well as the freedom to engage in cultural activities. Reading ought to be a cultural activity,” argued Li. It was not even about the freedom of speech, but simply reading. Yet this common sense would appear as a subversion of the paralyzing rigid ideas formulated during the Cultural Revolution, like a tossed stone that raises a thousand ripples. Dushu’s editorial department received a large number of objections: first, that there would be no gatekeeper and mentally immature minors would be influenced by trashy literature; second, that with the opening of the Pandora box, feudalism, capitalism and revisionism would now occupy our cultural stage. The article also aroused waves of debates within the CCP. Hu Yaobang, then Minister of Central Propaganda, transferred and appointed Li Honglin as the Deputy Director of the Theory Bureau in his department. A colleague asked him directly, “Can primary school students read Jin Pin Mei [also known in English as The Plum in the Golden Vase, a Chinese novel of manners composed in late Ming dynasty with explicit depiction of sexuality]?”

“All Four Doors of the Library Should be Open” was published in the second issue of Dushu, as an extension to “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”. The author was Fan Yuming, but was really Zeng Yansiu, president of the People’s Publishing House.

In the old days, there was a shorthand for the three Chinese characters for “library”: “book” within a “mouth”. The four sides of the book are all wide open, meaning that all the shackles of the banned books are released. “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” explains this on a theoretical level: the people have the freedom to read; “All Four Doors of the Library Should be Open” states that other than special collection books, all other books should be available for the public to loan.

The controversy caused by “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” lasted 2 years, and in April 1981, at the second anniversary of Dushu, Director of the Publishing Bureau, Chen Hanbo, penned an article that reiterated that there are “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”, and that was targeting an “unprecedented ban on books that did happen”.

Books are records of human wisdom, including strange, boring, vulgar thoughts, which are all valuable as long as they remain. After Emperor Qin Shihuang burned the books, he buried the scholars. In history, the ban on books and literary crimes have never ceased.

Engraved on the entrance to Dachau concentration camp in Germany, a famous poem cautions: When a regime begins to burn books, if it is not stopped, they will turn to burn people; when a regime begins to silent words, if it is not stopped, they will turn to silent the person. At the exit, a famous admonishment: When the world forgets these things, they will continue to happen.

Heine, a German poet of the 19th century, came up with “burning books and burning people”. There was a line before this: This is just foreplay.

Yes, all burning and banning of books are just foreplay. Next comes the literary crimes, and then “burning people”.

I started working at a publishing house with a high school degree at 18, and lived my entire life in a pile of books. 42 years ago, when I read “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” in Dushu, I thought that banned books were a thing of the past. Half a century since and here we are, encountering the exact same thing in the freest zone for reading in the past century in the place which enlightened Sun Yat-sen and the rest of modern intellectuals, a place called Hong Kong.

Oh, Hegel’s words are the most genuine.